The present invention generally relates to dispensers for animal scents. More particularly this invention relates to an animal scent dispenser having scent warming means that keep the scent aromatic in cold temperature environs.
Animal scents are widely used by hunters to lure deer and other game to a specific location. Animal scents mask human odors and appeal to the game's sense of smell. Many types of scents are utilized including food scents, territorial infringement scents and sexual attractants. Generally animal scents are liquids sold in small bottles. The hunter disperses the scent in the selected hunting area. The scent is generously applied either to an elevated scent pad disposed in an artificial scrape surrounding an artificial rub (preferably the rub is approximately 24" above ground) and on the artificial rub, or a "scent bomb" is placed on the ground or placed no higher than 24" off the ground. A "scent bomb" is made by pouring the scent into a 35 mm film cannister filled with an elongated strip of clean cotton. The film cannister is capped to tightly seal the scent for transport to the hunting area. At the hunting site cannisters are placed at selected positions upwind of the stand, the cap is removed and with a stick or other elongated object a portion of the scent-soaked strip of cotton is removed from the cannister and draped along the side of the cannister. At the end of a day's hunt the scent-soaked cotton is pushed backed into the film cannister, again using a stick or other elongated object, and the cannister is recapped.
Several problems arise from the above methods of dispersing a game scent. Firstly, filling the cannister with scent and draping the strip of cotton over the side of the cannister to make a "scent bomb" is messy and inconvenient. This operation is particularly difficult in the dark. Also, many of the scents have an odor that is pungent to humans and difficult to remove from skin and clothing, therefore inordinate care in handling is required. Secondly, although the strip of cotton acts as a wick it often dries out very quickly. Thus the scent is rapidly diluted. Thirdly, in cold weather the animal scents tend to freeze and thereby become useless for their purpose. Therefore there is a need in the art for a convenient and hygienic means of dispersing game scents that also keeps the scent from freezing in cold weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,763 to Kierum et al. discloses a game scent dispenser that includes a scent reservoir having a valved outlet that selectively releases fluid scent to the ground in a drip-like fashion As should be readily understood many of the problems known in the art remain unresolved by the scent dispenser of the Kierum et al. disclosure These and other problems of prior art dispensing of animal scents are overcome by the invention of the present disclosure.